# ICE007A: Syntax error in a DFSORT control statement Source: https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice007a ### ICE007A: Syntax error in a DFSORT control statement ICE007A means DFSORT found a syntax error in one of its control statements and stopped. Typical causes are an unbalanced parenthesis, a missing comma, an embedded blank, an invalid format or operator, or a badly written constant. #### Other names for this code Also written as `ICE007A SYNTAX ERROR`, `DFSORT ICE007A`, `ICE007A DFSORT syntax error`, `sort syntax error ICE007A`, `ICETOOL ICE007A`. ### What it means DFSORT checks every control statement before it reads any data. ICE007A is the general message for a statement that breaks the syntax rules. The operation definer was found, so DFSORT knew what kind of statement it was reading, but something inside the operands didn't parse. The A suffix marks a critical error. DFSORT ends without processing the input, and the step normally ends with return code 16. Because the check happens before any I/O, the input and output data sets are left as they were. ICE007A is broad. The same message covers a missing comma, a stray blank inside the operands, a format such as `CH` or `PD` that is misspelled, an unknown comparison operator, a malformed character or hex constant, and a symbol or parsed field (`%n`) used where it isn't allowed. The listing of your statements shows where DFSORT stopped, which narrows it down quickly. ### Common causes - Unbalanced parentheses, often in a long INCLUDE or OMIT condition, or in an OUTREC BUILD with nested items. - A missing comma between operands, or an extra one, for example `SORT FIELDS=(1,10,CH,A,)`. - An embedded blank inside the operands. DFSORT stops reading operands at the first blank, so the rest of the line is treated as comments and the statement is left incomplete. - An invalid format type or operator, such as `CHR` instead of `CH`, or `NEQ` instead of `NE`. - A bad constant, such as an unclosed `C'...'` string, a hex constant with an odd number of digits, or letters in a numeric constant. - A continued DFSPARM PARM, or a symbol or parsed field used in a place that doesn't accept it. ### How to find the problem - Open the sort step's SYSOUT in SDSF. DFSORT lists each control statement it read and marks where the error was found. - Read the marked statement from left to right and count parentheses. ISPF EDIT can help, because you can split a long statement over several lines to see its structure. - Check for blanks inside the operands. A common one is a blank after a comma at the end of a line that wasn't meant to end the statement. - If the job runs ICETOOL, look at the TOOLMSG and DFSMSG output. The ICE007A appears in DFSMSG under the operator that failed. ### How to fix it - Balance the parentheses and correct the commas, then rerun. - Continue long statements by ending the line after a comma and starting the next line after column 1. Don't leave a blank in the middle of the operands. - Use valid format codes (CH, ZD, PD, BI, FI and so on) and valid operators (EQ, NE, GT, GE, LT, LE). - Write constants in full, for example `C'PAYROLL'` or `X'C1C2'`, with an even number of hex digits. - Fix the first error first. A single mistake can cause more messages further down. ### IBM documentation [IBM documentation: ICE007A](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/3.1.0?topic=messages-ice007a). Use the documentation for your installed release. [Report a correction to WND Software](https://wndsoftware.com/contact#message). Last reviewed 2026-10-18 by the WND Software team. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s documentation for your z/OS release. ### Related codes [ICE005A Blank needed in column 1 or operation not defined correctly Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice005a) [ICE027A End of field beyond maximum record length Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice027a) [ICE043A Invalid data set attributes Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice043a) [ICE046A Sort capacity exceeded Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice046a) [U0016 User abend 16 Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/u0016) ### Questions #### How do I see which part of the statement is wrong? Look at the control statement listing in the step's SYSOUT. DFSORT shows the statement and marks the point where it gave up. #### Can ICE007A appear in an ICETOOL job? Yes. ICETOOL passes statements to DFSORT, and a syntax error in them is reported as ICE007A in the DFSMSG output, under the operator that failed. #### Is ICE007A different from ICE005A? Yes. ICE005A means DFSORT couldn't find a valid operation definer at the start of the statement. ICE007A means it found one, but the operands after it didn't parse. [z/OS and language runtime messages](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/zos-messages) · [ICE005A](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice005a) · [ICE027A](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/ice027a) [← All error codes](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/)